Craig Bryson has told dcfc.co.uk that, for him, gaining promotion with Derby County would represent the pinnacle of his career.
The 31-year-old achieved promotion to the Premier League whilst on loan with Cardiff City last campaign and in an in-depth interview, the Scottish midfielder sat down with has spoken of his experiences in the Welsh Capital.
“It (the loan) was good. From a personal point of view, it was good to go there and get promoted and work under a manager that has experienced promotion so many times,” Bryson, who joined Derby in 2011, said.
“It probably wasn’t my choice to go out, but it did prove to be a really successful year in the end.
“I don’t think I could have gone further away if I tried. I always thought that I wouldn’t play for another team in England – that’s in an ideal world – but things change, managers change and they all come with different styles and ideas.
“I ended up going out to Cardiff and it was a really good experience.”
Despite the move, Bryson still was no stranger to Derby County and Pride Park Stadium.
Rams supporters will remember the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest and the face of the fan favourite being shown on the big screen midway through the game. You know what happens next.
"He's Scottish, he's Scottish, he's Scottish,
And he like his haggis, his haggis, his haggis,
He washes it down with jaeger, with jaeger, with jaeger,
And that's the way he likes it, he likes it, he likes it,”
Bryson has experienced a lot in his career, but that is a moment he will never forget.
“It was a bit of a strange experience coming back to watch the Derby Vs Forest match. My face went up on the screen, but just to hear the Derby fans sing THAT song when I wasn’t actually at the club was amazing,” he said.
“It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and it’s a moment that I don’t think I will ever forget.
“I had an idea the Derby fans liked me, but I didn’t realise it was to that extent. To not be part of that game and that day, but to get the reception I did, was unbelievable.”
Little did he know at that point, that he would be celebrating promotion on the final day of the 2017/18 campaign.
An amazing moment for sure, but if that moment was to come, he never thought it would be with another club.
Explaining the moments after promotion was secured, he added: “After we got promoted and that final whistle went the feeling was unbelievable.
“That first five or 10 minutes was surreal. It’s a moment I have been trying to achieve for my entire career and the days after it was mad.
“Everyone spent most of it drunk and we went to Ibiza to celebrate too. I do want to take this opportunity to say, though, is that experience I had last year is something I still desperately want to feel with Derby.
“The club has been a massive part of my career and my life. To experience that with this club would be the pinnacle.”
Whilst everyone hopes that is the case come the end of the 2018/19 season, it is still early days and Bryson has given us an insight into what has made this pre-season, under Frank Lampard, very different to any others.
There is still a lot of hard work to get through before a ball is kicked at Reading on Friday 3rd August and now the midfielder is looking to make the most of his second chance under the new Derby boss.
“Everybody knows that pre-season is tough, but this one has been a little bit different under the new manager,” Bryson said.
“There hasn’t been so much ‘get on the line and run until you’re sick’. It’s practically been all ball work, so well thought out and well prepared. It’s been really tough.
“It’s been done at a high intensity and the boys have all put the effort in during those double sessions. I think we will be in great shape come the start of the season, put it that way.
“Going out on loan, you go thinking that you are never going to play for your parent club again. Since the start of the season I have just got my head down with the aim of working hard every day and hoped that I would get the opportunity.
“The change in manager has given me that chance to come back. We will see what happens, but all I can do is give everything.”